DISCONTINUED
by aurica.kosza
Summary: YOU CAN FIND THE NEW VERION ON AO3


Chapter 1

The Calamity was defeated. Link had done what he was supposed to do.

With Ganon gone again, it was up to Zelda to rebuild her kingdom. Hundred years fighting had paid off.

Link was still the same quiet knight that was appointed to protect her before the calamity happened. And he still took that role very seriously, even though the danger was gone. Zelda noticed how tense he was. "You can relax, there is nothing that can harm me now. Calamity is gone, thanks to you", she said. Link nodded but stayed silent. The physical fight was over. Now he had to face the biggest fight; the mental fight.

Days went by and Zelda was busy with preparing the rebuild of Hyrule. Link was by her side but the focus was not there. He heard her talk, he recognized the sounds, he just couldn't get his brain to process what was said. "Link! Are you listening?" Zelda pulled him back to reality. "Yeah", was the only word he spoke. A look of concern was the reply to this. "Are you sure? You looked like you were about to pass out," Zelda said.

"I'm fine, just tired."

"You have slept for a hundred years."

Link glared at the princess, but he had no reply. He chose to stay silent.

Zelda continued to look at the pictures on the sheikah slate. "So, as I said. I want to start with the castle and the town. Then I want to move to the rest of Hyrule Field and rebuild that. Or I could do that at the same time and ask the Gorons for help. They're really good at building," she said. Link nodded. "We can travel there tomorrow?" he suggested. "That's not a bad idea", Zelda said. "It's settled then. Tomorrow we will travel to Goron City and ask for help", she concluded. "This meeting is done." She stood up and walked out of the room.

Link followed. His mind was already at war with all of the thoughts of what could happen during the trip. It was a day and a half long trip. He walked straight to the training field, grabbed a sword and started fighting the dummy that was standing there that was not used. Members of the Royal Guard were training as well. Link ignored them. Not like he had a choice. His mind was raging, images of everything he had seen and heard got back like an avalanche.

The soldiers seized their training and stared at the Champion fighting the dummy. The movements were ragged, quick but far from focused. It was something that they had never seen. Leon, one of the oldest in the group looked up and saw Zelda standing on the bridge. She looked at Link and Leon knew she was worried.

Link himself didn't notice that he was looked at. He stabbed the dummy with the sword and let out a scream. But he didn't see a dummy anymore.

He saw Calamity Ganon staring back at him.

Suddenly someone grabbed him by the shoulder and in a swift movement, he grabbed the sword again and turned around. Only to see Leon standing in front of him. The sword was mere inches from the man's face. Link dropped the sword. He had almost stabbed a fellow soldier. The realization hit like a brick and he ran off.

Link knew he had to get out of the castle and decided to get back to Hateno village. Where his house was. He didn't want to go with his horse, so he summoned his motorcycle. It was faster and he liked it. He stepped on and drove off.

Arriving at his house he again lost himself in emotion. He grabbed a small knife and started stabbing his pillow. He was so angry!

When his anger subsided he just looked at the knife. _This will just be a one-time thing, _he thought.

Zelda didn't know what to do. She was scared. Scared for what the calamity did to her knight. She also didn't know where he went. She went to the stables, but Link his horse was still there. She figured he had taken his motorcycle, but that didn't ease her nerves. Something told her that this wasn't right and she was determined to find out what it was.

She eventually sent a small group of soldiers a day later out to find Link. Leon was in charge. "Please, find him and bring him back. I want to find out what is going on," Zelda instructed. Leon nodded and he ordered his group to follow him.

Leon and his fellow soldiers rode to Kakariko village, knowing that Impa resided there. She was also a wise woman and might know some answers to his questions. The trip took one day. They arrived at noon and Leon walked directly to Impa's house.  
Paya was busy on the front porch. She was surprised to see Royal Guards in the village. "Good morning, can I help you?" she asked. Normally she was not good with talking to men, but this was not Link she was faced with. "I am here to speak to Impa", Leon said. "Grandma is inside", Paya answered. "Thank you", Leon said and walked inside.

"I know why you are here", where the first words Impa spoke when Leon entered the home. "You are in search for Link." Leon knew Impa was wise, but it still spooked him that she knew why he was here. "He is not here, is he?" he asked. "No, I was told that some villagers saw him go to Hateno village", Impa answered. "I don't know what's going on with him, but it scares me", Leon said. He didn't know what to do. "Go to Hateno village. I feel that he is there. He has a house there", Impa said. Leon nodded and left. He was determined to find the missing champion.

_  
️Possible trigger warning ️  
_

In Hateno village Link had not shown his face outside. He got to a point where he was scared to go outside. All these people would look at him. He didn't want people to know what he did to himself. Sleeping was all he did and even when he woke up he was tired. Even eating was a whole task and he eventually stopped that too.

He woke up to the sound of horses and men yelling. It was like he was in a soundproof room, everything sounded far away.

Banging on the door.

Someone yelling his name.

Stairs were climbed.

More yelling.

Dark.

Leon was the first one to reach Hateno village. He stepped off his horse and ran directly to Link's house after he was shown where it was. He yelled for the knight, but the silence was the answer. He banged on the door. No one answered. Kaito, his best friend, and a fellow soldier had followed him. "What if he is not here? Maybe he stayed at a stable", Kaito said. "Then we should've seen him. I know he is here", Leon said. He barged in and yelled for Link again. Still, it was silent. Kaito ran up the stairs. "Leon! He's here!" he yelled. Leon ran up the stairs. The sight he was faced with was something he probably never wanted to see. "Holy fuck", was the only thing he could say. He ran up to Link and tried to get his attention. "Holy shit, Link!" Leon yelled. "He needs to get back to the castle", he said. Leon nodded. He picked up the small form on the bed an ran downstairs and out of the house. He only then noticed how skinny the champion was. Kaito then also said something Leon didn't want to hear: "Leon, look at his arms!" Kaito pointed down. Leon followed the finger and saw lines. Not just any sort of lines: cuts. Some were new, some were older. Leon knew something was going on and he now wanted to know.

Zelda was cooped up in the library. She wanted to find out what was going on with her knight. She read every book that the sheikah ever wrote, but she couldn't find the answers. In frustration, she threw away the book. "Queen! They're back!" a maid called. Zelda got up and ran to the bridge that had sight on the town. Leon rode into the town with a second person in front of him on his horse.  
Zelda and down to the soldiers. "I need help!" Leon yelled. Zelda now saw why he said it. They had found Link. "What happened?" she asked. "I don't know, Zelda", Leon said, not worrying about how he talked to the Queen. Two healers came to the town square and took over Link. "Kaito and I found him in his house in Hateno village", Leon said. He didn't want to tell Zelda what he figured out, but he felt like she deserved to know it. "There is more, isn't it?" Zelda asked after she saw Leon think. "There is, but it is better if I show you", Leon said. He took the queen by her hand and took her to the healers.

Upon arriving one of the healers we busy bandaging up Link's arms. "Kaito noticed it first. I first thought it was wounds from battle, but then I saw these were not more than a day or even a few hours old. I think it's self-inflicted", Leon said. Zelda hurried out of the room and rand to the library. She pulled every book she could find about men and mind. Leon had followed her and helped out.

All night they were searching and reading. "I think I found something!" Leon said. He held a sheikah book about war and minds. "This describes Link in so many ways, it's scary", he said. Zelda grabbed the book and started reading. "When someone is in a war and comes out of it, it can change their life and behavior," she read out loud. "It also says that people could have moments where they relive things. Remember how Link wanted to attack me when I walked up to him to comfort him? He looked at me like I was the calamity", Leon said. "Impa once told me that people started to give it a name. Something along the lines of after trauma - post-traumatic stress! That's what they call it!" Zelda said.

They found out what was going on. Now they needed to find a solution to it.

Zelda sat at Link's bedside for two days. She was praying daily to the goddesses, but no one had answered. At least, that was what she thought. She was about to fall asleep again when someone said her name. She looked up and saw Link looking at her. "You're awake!" Zelda said happily. "I'm sorry,", was the second thing that he said. "I am just happy that you are awake", Zelda said, "and somewhat okay".  
_

Jumping to two days later and Link was walking around the castle grounds. Leon was put on the task to keep an eye on the knight. "You don't need to follow me EVERYWHERE I go,", Link said. It had gotten him on his nerves. "You sound like Zelda when she was being followed around by you", Leon said. "And that was for good reasons", Link said. He walked a bit faster, but Leon refused to leave. "And this is for a good reason as well! You looked dead when we found you! Imagine that Zelda had to live with the fact that you might have died, hadn't she sent us to find you", Leon said. "So what if I was? It's better than reliving the fucking calamity every single waking moment of my life", was Link's response. "I thought you were the wielder of the Triforce of courage?" Leon said. "Well, I GUESS I AM NOT FUCKING WORTHY OF IT!" Link screamed and he walked off.

Zelda had heard the commotion and walked to the source of the sound. Leon was standing in the hallway. "I heard screaming. What is going on?" she asked. "I don't know what to do", Leon said. "I should never express my feelings since I am a soldier… But I am beyond terrified", he continued. Zelda decided to try and talk to her knight. She knew where she could find him since he was ordered to stay on castle grounds. She walked straight to the training field.

"Get OUT of my HEAD! You swirling SWINE!"

Those were the first word Zelda heard when she entered the training field. The linkLink was again fighting a dummy. She stared at him for a few minutes. Link finally stopped fighting and threw the sword away. He then looked up and saw Zelda standing at the entrance. "Zelda, I how long were you there?" He asked. "Long enough to tell you are clearly still at war", Zelda said. Link was at a loss of words. He didn't know how much she knew and it made him uncomfortable. "Leon told me what happened, at least in his words", Zelda said. These words sent the champion into a panic. "How- how much do you know?" he managed to ask. "Enough to make me worry about you,", zelda said. This didn't help his anxiety. In fact, it only made it worse unbeknownst to Zelda. Link looked around the field for a way out of this situation but he knew Zelda wouldn't let him go. He felt like he was back with the guardians eying his every movement ready to strike and kill. The natural sounds were driven out and replaced with the sound of the beeping that came from the guardians. It made the knight freeze in paralyzing fear.

Zelda was still standing in the same place when she noticed the change. "Link?" she asked with concerned and confused.

Link heard a soft voice. He heard it saying his name, which set of another memory. It was like an ambush but now on his brain. Flashes of images raced through his mind like a bad movie being replayed over and over again. Someone was yelling for help. At the same time, he had the sensation of falling. Then it was lights out.

Leon was still in the castle attending to his duties when he heard a high pitched scream. He recognized the voice. It was Zelda. He dropped everything he had in his hands and rand to the source of the screams. It became louder, the more he ran to the training fields. "Zelda!" he screamed. "Leon, help!" Zelda screamed back. He could hear her fear like she saw something horrible unfold that she had never seen. He ran to the bridge that had sight on the training ground. Zelda sat on the ground with an uncontrollably shaking Link half in her arm." Get help! I don't know what to do!" Zelda now yelled. It was not necessary as the healers had heard the screams for help.

Leon ran from the bridge to go to the fields. He might not know what was happening, but he knew he had to do something. Even if it was only comforting the princess.

Zelda saw the healers come to her as she was struggling to hold her knight. The moment they wanted to do something, the shaking stopped and Link now lay limply in Zelda's arms.  
Her arms felt sore, because of all the strong inconsistent movements. Her mind was racing with so many questions, it made her dizzy. "Zelda, are you okay?" Leon asked. His face was showing his concern. Not only for the princess but for Link as well. The soldier hoped that this was never happening again.  
_

A few hours went by. Link woke up to soft humming. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the source of it. It was non-other than Zelda herself. He silently looked at her and took in every feature. She had her blue traveling outfit on. Her hair was pulled back into a dot. Only then he noticed he was laying in a bed. He had no idea how he got here or what happened. The only thing he knew was the fact that he was tired as hell. Like he had been running from Hyrule field to Hateno village.

Zelda looked up at that moment and saw Link looking at her. "Oh, my Goddes! You are awake! You scared me so bad", she said. She saw at the way her knight looked at her that he had no idea what she was talking about. How was she gonna explain this?

There was silence. Zelda looked at her hands that were resting in her lap. "How do you feel?" she asked. "Tired. Like running for miles", was the only explanation Link could give. His head still felt like someone stuffed cotton in his scalp instead of a brain. His muscles felt sore with every movement. But he could sit up and did just that. Zelda wanted to help, but Link shook his head. "I've got this. I've been through worse", he simply stated. "I actually thought you were dying", Zelda finally said. "What do you mean?" her knight asked while swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The princess looked up, her face painted with worry and fear. She was searching for the words, but her mind stayed blank.

Link didn't understand what got the princess so afraid." If it troubles you that much, you don't have to tell me. I'll be fine", he said. Zelda nodded. Another time would be better. She was still too shaken up to talk about it. Link stood up. "Are you sure you should be walking around?" Zelda asked.

"Staying in bed does not improve anything. I'd rather walk around. Besides, it's helping me to clear my head."

"Do mind if I come with you?"

"Go ahead."  
_

Leon was back doing his duties when he heard voices. He walked out of the room where he was busy in and saw Link and Zelda walking in the hallway. He put away his stuff and walked up to the pair. "Link, can you never scare me like that?" was the first thing he said. Link looked up from his conversation. "I have literally no clue what you are talking about", he said. "You don't remember?" Leon asked.

"Not much. The last thing I know is that I was in a fight with you and I walked off."

"Didn't Zelda tell you?"

Zelda shook her head in response. "She didn't. It clearly upset her", Link said. Leon nodded in response. "Do you want to know?" he asked after a few minutes of silence. "Why is everyone so cautious about spilling the fucking beans! It's not that I lost control or something! I have gone through a war, died, fought again and defeated the calamity! I BASICALLY FOUGHT A DEMON!" Link yelled. "Listen! You _did _lose control. I don't what it was or why, but you did! Zelda was going after you when we fought and you walked away", Leon said, "I continued on with my things when Zelda here, screamed like someone had been killed. So I ran to her. When I got on the bridge at the training grounds she was sitting on the ground", Leon took a deep breath, "you were in her arms and, I shit you not, it looked like you were shot repeatedly with shock arrows. Like, holy fuck! You were shaking," Leon finished his explanation. Link just looked at his fellow soldier. "Well then. At least I am not dead", he said even though deep down he wished that was the outcome, but he didn't express that feeling. He had decided to not express his thoughts and feelings since it only ended up in him being saved. And others getting hurt.  
_

Zelda was back with her duties to rebuild Hyrule. She had Link at her side again, like the last couple of weeks never happened. The only things that were a reminder of what happened were the scars on Link's arms, but she decided not to look at them. "So, we still need to travel to Goron city", she said, "since we didn't have that chance". Link didn't know how to respond to that, so he chose to ignore it and stay silent. "I want to leave tomorrow morning at dawn", Zelda continued. Link simply nodded. He loved traveling with the emphasize on _love_d. He was losing interest in the simplest things, yet he didn't speak about it. He knew how much the kingdom meant to Zelda and he didn't want to fuck it up for the second time. "I'll make sure the horses will be ready for tomorrow", he said. The meeting was over and they both went their own way.  
_

The next morning Link was up before dawn to make sure he had everything packed for the trip. Actually, that was a lie. He didn't sleep the whole night afraid of nightmares knocking on his conscious. For the first time, he was scared to go on a trip since almost everything in Hyrule was a trigger. He still decided to be stubborn and follow through. Zelda wanted this, so he had to be on her side as he was still her appointed knight. "I will not fuck this up again", he said to himself. "What won't you fuck up?" a voice asked. Link turned around and was met with the curious face of Zelda. "Nothing, just making sure I got everything ready. I know myself, I will forget shit", Link said. He was happy he could just be himself around the princess as she was too with him. Still, he didn't want to upset her or have her hurt. "Are you ready?" he asked. Zelda nodded. "Let's go", she said.  
_

"After this, I actually want to go to Zora's Domain. It's closer than Rito village", Zelda said. Her voice pulled link out of his thoughts. They had been traveling for a few hours and Link noticed himself getting back into his thoughts. _Stay awake, Link. You can't have the princess in danger because of your poor mental health and fucked up sleeping rhythm, _Link scolded to himself. "We could do that, but let us focus on getting to Goron city first", he said. "You're right", Zelda agreed.

Going to Goron city took one day. They arrived in the evening and Zelda decided to stay at a stable at the mouth of Death Mountain. Zelda paid for the beds while Link had the horses taken care of. "I think we should go on foot to Goron city. It's too hot for the horses", Link said. Even though he didn't like the idea of walking. "I think you're right", Zelda said. "But it is still hot as hell there, so I have two sets of armor to protect us,", Link said. "I know it's not really princess-like, but it's better than getting burned alive". Zelda nodded. She agreed on both statements. "Let's get some sleep", she said and headed inside the stable. Link followed shortly and just laid down. He didn't want to sleep, but it was a losing battle.

Soon he was sound asleep.  
_

And woke up one hour after experiencing a string of flashbacks. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep, so he just stood up and walked outside. If he didn't get to sleep, he might as well stand guard so Zelda could sleep.

Zelda indeed slept through the night and woke up refreshed and ready to take on the day. When she walked out she saw her knight waiting. "Good morning, Link", she greeted. When Link looked up she saw that he had dark circles under his eyes. "Good morning, Zelda", he greeted in return with a smile, "did you sleep well?"

"I did, but I could ask you the same question."

"I'm okay."

Zelda nodded but decided to keep an eye on him. Something was off and she wanted to know what it was.

"Ready?" Link asked. He stood up, stumbled a bit, but regained footing quickly. "Yes, let's go", Zelda said. They started walking to the giant mountain. Link kept looking around for monsters that might lurk around. "Link, everything died with the calamity, you can relax", Zelda said, noticing how tense her knight was. "The Yiga might be still around", Link retorted. Zelda couldn't do anything but give in to that statement. But at the same time, the Yiga clan hadn't shown themselves after Ganon was destroyed.  
_

Eventually, they made it to Goron city without any trouble. Zelda made way to the Goron leader to ask for help and make plans. Link followed.

"Princess! What brings you here?" the Chief asked. "I've come to ask your help", Zelda said. The chief nodded and motioned to get into his house to talk privately. The two Hylians followed.  
"What is it that you need my help with, princess?" the chief asked. He sat down on his chair. "I want to rebuild Hyrule, but I need builders. I was wondering if your people could help out", Zelda started. "Of course! Anything for you, princess!" the chief said.

Link was standing a few steps behind Zelda but didn't really pay attention to the conversation. He couldn't focus, because of the lack of sleep. He didn't want Zelda to notice. "Hey, little guy, are you okay?" the chief's voice sounded. _Little guy. Daruk used to say that, _Link realized. The room was suddenly much smaller. "Excuse me", he managed to say and left. The chief looked at Zelda. "What's up with him," he asked. "I think it's just tough on him to be here", Zelda said. She would have to talk to Link later.

"Is it something I said?"

"I don't know. It's been a few weeks since I have seen him like this." Zelda thought for a moment but decided that it probably was nothing.  
_

She was wrong. Link tried to find a way to the exit but his mind was so occupied with not having a panic attack, that his just walked around like crazy. He eventually walked into someone and looked up to see Yunobo standing in front of him. The yellow Goron smiled when he saw the Hylian. "Link! I haven't seen you in weeks! How are you?" he asked. Link couldn't utter out a word. The fact that his path was blocked made him paranoid.

Yunobo was happy to see his favorite Hylian. He smiled at Link but soon noticed nothing came back a response. He now saw the wild look in Links eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked. The fact that he didn't get an answer worried him. Eventually, Yunobo took Link with him to his house, Daruk's old one.

Link saw this and yanked himself loose from the Goron, only to run. Being here felt like a bag was pulled over his head and choking him. The heat didn't help any of it.

Zelda was still busy with the chief when Yunobo ran inside. "I need help", he said. "What's wrong?" the chief asked. Zelda rushed out and saw a group of Gorons surrounding someone. She ran to the group and pushed herself through them, only to find Link sitting on the ground in the middle of a severe panic attack. "MOVE!" she said. She sat next to her knight who tried to get himself under control. "Give the boy some space!" the chief said. The group moved out of the way.

Zelda was trying to get Link to listen to her. "Focus on me okay. It's just me and you now", she said. Link nodded through his ragged breaths. "Tell me everything you see on me. I want you to concentrate and name everything you see. I don't care how ridiculous it is", Zelda said.

Link looked at the princess. Her green eyes were filled with concern, but also determination. "I-I see... Your eyes", was the first thing he said. "Go on,", Zelda said, feeling her cheeks turn red.

"I see the armor."

Link noticed he calmed down more. He was more focused on Zelda's eyes because that was the first thing that brought him back to reality. He just stayed still and looked in the eyes of the princess. Then her chest. Not like he was looking at her in that way, he was focused on her breathing pattern and instinctively followed it. His racing heart slowed down and the tingling in his fingers stopped. Soon he was grounded. "Thanks,", he said.

"Anytime."  
_

The next day Link and Zelda left for Zora's Domain. Link had finally slept a few hours, ordered by the princess. It still wasn't much, but it was more than he had in the last 24 hours. After breakfast, they left.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't know what happened", Link said. "It's okay. You were lucky. I recognized it, 'cause I have had them too when I was forced to focus on my training", Zelda said. "How did I never see it?" Link asked. "That was before you were appointed to me. For some reason you had this calm aura around you that helped me", Zelda said. "I died, basically", Link said dryly.

"I mean, yeah, in a way. But you came back and helped me. Now I will do the same to you."

Link couldn't help but smile. He looked around and took in the scenery. It was so green. Even after all that had to happen. "Hey Zelda, when do you _leaf _your worries behind?" Link asked randomly. He grinned wildly and waited for a response. It took Zelda a moment to realize what her knight just said. "Seriously, Link? _PUN_S?!" she said. Link couldn't stop laughing. His horse stopped when he fell off, laughing uncontrollably. "Goddess, tell me why I am stuck with a pun master?" Zelda asked at the sky.

Link was still dying of laughter. He couldn't utter a word and tears were rolling down his face. He just couldn't stop laughing. His sides hurt and he couldn't breathe normally due to the laughing fit. "If you are done dying we can move on", Zelda said.

It took a minute for Link to get out of his fit and stood back up. He mounted his horse and wiped away the tears. "It has been so long since I had a good laugh", he said. Zelda looked at Link with a smile. She was glad he was doing better and spoke that thought out loud.

Oh, how actions can be deceiving.  
_

The two Hylians arrived after a day at Zora's Domain. Link was almost falling asleep, still dealing with the sleep deprivation. "You should sleep some, I'll handle it here", Zelda said, who noticed it. "No, I'm fine", Link said, while yawning away his sleep. It was difficult for him to keep his eyes open. The soft blue light of the Domain started to blend and sway, making him grip hard on the reigns. "_Link_?" Zelda's voice sounded from far away. " 'mstillhere", he managed to say. "... tired, thatsall". He shook his head to get the sleep out of his head. They had to leave their horses as they would not be allowed into the town. Link dismounted his horse, but he lost his footing and fell off. This earned Zelda to let out a stifled laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked, still chuckling. "I'm fine. I didn't realize the ground was so low", Link said.  
_

Sidon was looking at the statue of his sister Mipha. Deep in thought, he didn't notice someone was walking up to him. "Prince Sidon?" a small voice forced his gaze from his sister. He followed the source of the sound and was met with the presence of non-other than Princess Zelda herself. Along with his friend Link. "Princess Zelda! You're alive!" he exclaimed. "I think I am", Zelda replied. "It's good to see you, Sidon", Link said. Sidon insisted on seeing his father because he was "eager to see them as soon they were having the chance" as he stated. "My father has waited for Link to return with you, princess", he said. "Please, call me Zelda. I am hardly a princess now Hyrule is in ruins", Zelda stated.

They headed to the throne room. Link looked up at the stairs he had to climb. It now looked like he was about to climb Death mountain without any armor or heat resistant elixirs. He took a deep breath and started walking up the stairs. He held on for dear life as every step was like he was chained down with lead. He didn't know if it was of the lack of sleep or the anxiety to see the Zora king again. _Get your shit together, Link! No one has time for your shenanigans! _he scolded himself.


End file.
